Panopticism task notes

london riots. notes

This saw a fail of Panopticism maintaining order on the streets.

Panoptic tactics such as CCTV, tracking Social networks and mobile chatter failed to stop the disorder but  helped enforce and catch offenders.

Shows that panopicism fails when communication between offenders is available which was never allowed in the Panopticon prison.

The Government tried to highlight that offenders are been watched an monitored constantly was enforced on the news and in the papers to try regain order.

Talking about riots was almost forbid on social networks. a few were made an example of by going to court for mentioning it in a facebook status.
reminder you are been watched.

"Visibility is a trap" removes the possibility to hide.. In numbers people can hide. safety in numbers.

How they started to control

Lecture 1 Panopticism Seminar 1

Panopticism

Institutions and institutional POWER

Panopticon (1971)

This as a building has the same principals of control as society does.

Michel Foucault

1926-1984

·      Madness and civilization

·      Discipline and punish. The birth of the prison.

Both concentrate of the rise of institution.

The great Confinement

Madness insane led a very simple life. Tolerated in society. Village idiot.

1600’s rise of religion. Feel outside social norms. Wouldn’t couldn’t work led to the Great confinement. House of correction.

Insane criminals, poor, unemployed, single mothers, lazy

Put to work or were punished. Threat of violence.

This became a gross error. It corrupted people more in fact.

Special institutions. Birth of the Asylum. Judge who is right or wrong.

Inside asylum the inmates are controlled in different ways. They are treated like children if they do well they are rewarded. Trained.

All sorts of knowledge form. Biology, psychiatry, medicine.

This new form of social control represents internalize responsibility

Criminals and deviants.

Punished publicly. Not to correct it to show to everyone else. They will be punished and humiliated if they are deviants.

Physical torture to be made of an example of. Show the kings power. A lesson to everyone else.

Disciplinary society/power

A shift for physical punishment to mental punishment.

Discipline is a technique

Making you useful. Controlling thoughts and behaviors

Panopticon Jeremy Bentham’s

Prison 1791

Modern version  in Cuba.

Each prisoner separated in there sell and see tower. On display and isolated constantly. C

Can’t tell if you are been watched

It internalizes the idea you are always been watched. You never do anything wrong. Allows power to function automatically.

Mentally control themselves.

Self help.

Used for a variety of purposes.

·      Allows scrutiny

·      Allows supervisor to experiment on subjects

·      Aims to make them productive.

·      Reform

·      Treat

·      Instruct

·      Confine

·      Supervise

New mode of power PANOPTICISM

Correct and train them

Open plan office. Not just a trendy design it is an efficient system. Allows the boss to constantly see work staff to make sure they are working and not skiving off.

Reminder of institutional power.

Leads to a fear of been court out.

Not just physical places.

Register is  panoptic sign that everyday is been monitored.

Relationship between power and knowledge and the body

Direct relationship to metal and physical control.

Force to train ourselves.

Has mental control which results in a physical act.

“Docile bodies” it won’t rebel. Self monitoring, self correction.

Foucault and Power. Power isn’t a thing you have it’s a dialogue. We choose to let people wield power. 

CTS seminar 1

Task 1. Panoptioism.

Choose an example of one aspect of contemporary culture this is in your opinion panoptic. 200-300 words.

Employing key foucauldian language, such as Docile bodies or self regulation and using at least 5 quotes from the text panopticism in Thomas, J 2000

Reading images NY Palgrave McMillan.

Panopticon Jeremy Bentham 1971

·      Visibility/invisibility – Institutional Gaze.

·      Isolated. Stop people conspiring. Stop people sharing there experiences important for self-discipline.

·      Self-discipline. Self-regulating.

·      Machine to produce productivity

·      Under surveillance

·      The shift from physical to mental discipline (Modern disciplinary society)

·      Binary division. Mad/sane

Inventing discipline.

Psychiatry emerges to correct and contain.

Michel Foucault

1926-1984

Schools

Hospitals

Facebook (social networks)

The News and advertising (shows you an image of a perfect life. Sends an idea to audience that’s how they should be)

Docile Body

Fitter more productive. Easily trained.

Power

Power is a relationship.

Students let teacher have power over them.

Entering the relationship as the subordinate.

Student doesn’t have to do this but chooses to.

Effect the controllers as well as the controlled. 

Year 1 Below